| News for and about the civil engineering community
|  |
| |  | |
| Industry News |  |  |
|
- Cement demand expected to soar 43% in coming decades
According to the Portland Cement Association, U.S. demand for cement will increase 43% by 2030, driven by both population growth and environmental concerns. With the population expected to increase by 63 million, "construction will boost demand for cement to record levels," says Edward J. Sullivan, PCA's chief economist. Sullivan also expects green building methods such as insulated concrete walls to grow over the coming decades, further driving up the demand for cement. GoStructural.Com
(3/3)
- States agree on new bridge over Mississippi
Transportation officials in Illinois and Missouri have reached an agreement on funding and building a $640 million bridge across the Mississippi River. The agreement required 20 years of haggling between the states, as well as design changes to trim the original $2 billion projected cost. Engineering News-Record
(3/3)
- Clock ticking on federal funding for Michigan airports
Aviation officials in Michigan are urging quick action by the Legislature to avoid losing up to $163 million for airport projects across the state. Some airport managers are urging the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee to separate airport construction projects from education projects in order to request the federal funds before they are directed to other states -- a proposal that is meeting resistance in Lansing. "I don't like to pick one or the other, to say that the aeronautics portion of it is more important than the schools and universities and community colleges," said Subcommittee Chairman Morris Hood III. Crain's Detroit Business (free registration)
(3/3)
| Technology and Trends | | |
|
- Ohio looks to inland ports for transport growth
With infrastructure issues plaguing highways and railroads, inland waterways are poised for growth, officials in Toledo, Ohio, believe. Over the past 40 years, shipments have fallen sharply within the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes system, but that trend is set to reverse because of overcrowding at coastal ports, according to Joe Cappel, seaport marketing representative for the Port of Toledo. Cappel said he expects smaller ports will grow in importance as feeder services take containers from oceangoing vessels and distribute the cargo to the heartland via inland waterways. The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)
(3/2)
 | Want to stand out at the 2008 GeoCongress?
ASCE SmartBrief reaches thousands of geotechnical engineers. Advertise in ASCE SmartBrief to have attendees looking for you at the show. To learn more, contact Eric Yeager at 202 737-5500 ext. 255. |
| Sustainability | | |
|
- Army Corps of Engineers reduces outflow from Raleigh watershed
In an effort to preserve water supplies for North Carolina's capital city, the Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to cut by nearly half the amount of water allowed to flow out of Falls Lake. With the lake already eight feet below its normal level, Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker enlisted local congressmen to lobby the Army Corps of Engineers on the city's behalf. Meeker said cutting outflows by 17 million gallons a day through the month of March would preserve as much as 500 million gallons of lake water. The Charlotte Observer (N.C.)/Associated Press
(3/4)
| Management Practices | | |
|
- Smaller firms offer professionals bigger rewards
Economic turmoil recently has prompted several major corporations to announce plans to reduce their work forces, but smaller firms have arms open for talented professionals. The rewards of working at a smaller shop include less bureaucracy, more responsibility, recognition of success, closer association with top management and more ability to improve the bottom line. The Wall Street Journal (free content)
(3/4)
- Do homework before signing up for bundled telecom service
Buying bundled telecom services can save time and money for a small business while offering phone, Internet and Web services, but companies are vulnerable if the service provider develops financial problems. Case in point: Spa Space in downtown Chicago lost phone service at a critical time because its telecom service provider hadn't paid its bills. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
(3/4)
| Policy Update | | |
|
- Bush extends mandate for Gulf Coast rebuilding agency
President George W. Bush announced Monday he will reauthorize the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding through the end of his term, settling the short-term future of the agency created to oversee post-Katrina recovery efforts. After Jan. 20, 2009, the next president will have to decide whether to continue the rebuilding effort through a separate agency or fold such efforts into the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Donald Powell, the OGCR's director, resigned unexpectedly on Friday. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
(3/4)
- U.S. approves Keystone Pipeline
The U.S. government has approved the $5.2 billion Keystone Pipeline to send crude oil from Alberta to Illinois and Oklahoma. The pipeline, jointly owned by TransCanada Corp. and ConocoPhillips, will have an initial capacity of 435,000 barrels per day, reaching 590,000 barrels a day in late 2010. Reuters
(3/3)
| Critical Infrastructure | | |
|
- Pew issues report card on infrastructure maintenance
Almost half of U.S. states fall below the national average for infrastructure maintenance, according to a new study released Monday by the Pew Center on the States. Pew gave 23 states a grade lower than C+ for the way they maintain bridges, roads and other infrastructure, while a B- grade was the overall average. Massachusetts and New Hampshire ranked at the bottom of the class, each earning a D+. Reuters
(3/3)
- Pittsburgh bridge reopens after four-week closure
Almost four weeks after frozen rocker bearings caused a Pittsburgh bridge span to drop eight inches on one of its piers, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has partially reopened the structure, which carries 6,000 vehicles a day. Construction crews using hydraulic jacks raised the 2.1 million-pound span onto a temporary steel pier constructed next to the existing concrete pier where the incident occurred. The bridge's northbound side remains closed as engineers design a new bearing system. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(3/4)
| News from ASCE | | |
|
-
OPAL education winner Dr. Smerdon honored for devotion to engineering education
Ernest T. Smerdon, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, is dean emeritus at the University of Arizona, following three years as senior education associate at the National Science Foundation. He was vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering there from January 1988 to January 1998. He held the Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin and the Bess Harris Jones Centennial Professorship in Natural Resource Policy Studies in the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dr. Smerdon has been president of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). He chaired the NAE Committee on Career-Long Education for Engineers and received ASCE's highest honor when elected as an honorary member in 1994. Smerdon will receive the 2008 ASCE Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Lifetime Achievement Award for education. Learn more about his achievements. The award will be presented on April 30 during ASCE's annual OPAL Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. Learn more and register.
-
Building for high winds topic of upcoming seminar
In recent years, the migration of people to hurricane-prone coastlines, a general increase in urban sprawl and new high-tech lightweight building materials have increased the incidence of building disasters and wind damage. Wind-induced property losses annually exceed all other losses from natural hazards. ASCE's Wind Loads seminar, from March 20-21 in Miami, is based on ASCE's publication on minimum design loads for buildings and its guide to wind-load provisions. Learn more.
| SmartQuote | | |
|
 | Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility."
|
| | |
| Advertise |
|
Account Director:
Eric Yeager 202-737-5500 ext. 255
|
|
|
| |
|
Read more at SmartBrief.com |
|
A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including:
|
|
|  |
|
| |
| |
| | Recent ASCE SmartBrief Issues:
- Monday, March 03, 2008
- Friday, February 29, 2008
- Thursday, February 28, 2008
- Wednesday, February 27, 2008
- Tuesday, February 26, 2008
| | | Lead Editor: Angela Giroux
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2008 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
